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J. HARRIS;

REAPING MACHINE. No. 248,929. Patented Nov. 1,1881.

(No Model.) 2 sneets-sneen'z'.

J. HARRis.

REAPING MAGHINE.

No, 248,929. Patented Nov. 1,1881.

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NITED STATES JOHN HARRIS, OF BRANTFORD, ONTARIO, CANADA.

REAPiNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,929, dated November 1, 1881,

Application filed December 10, 1880.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that l, JOHN HARRIS, of Brantford, in the county of Brant, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, manufacturer of agricultural implements, haveinvented certain new and usefullmprovementsin Harvester-Rakes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in harvester-rakes; and it consists in the peculiararrangement an d construction of the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure l is a plan of a portion of the machine to which my impro vements relate. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the rake-support, with a portion of its attachments. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rake-wheel and arms. Fig. 4 is a detail showing connection of trip to its operating-crank, also the adjustable throat; and Fig. 5 is a detail showing another view of these parts. Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the slotted arch and its slotted brace.

As my invention relates to improvements on a machine the construction of which is well understood, it will not be necessary for me to enter into a detailed description of its general construction, or to specify the material or dimensions of its various parts. To facilitate the description I shall describe the construction of the parts to which my improvements relate.

In Fig. 2 my improved driving-gear is clearly exhibited. In this figure it will be seen that the shalt A passes through hearings in the rake-support B. These bearings a, as shown, are situated on each side of the center of the rake-support, and constitute a solid support for the shaft A.

The upper face of the rake-support- B is provided with a central huh, I), which forms a journal-bearing for the hub c of the rake-wheel D, whichisadaptedtorevolvethereon. Therakewheel D is provided with a circumferential guard or shield d, to prevent the ingress of straw or foreign matter, and is provided with a circular row of teeth near its circumference. The rake-support B is provided at its lower end, on its grain side, with a curved guard, P, partially inclosing the pinion G, the guards P and 01 serving to protect the pinion from dirt and injury. The pinion O engages with the rake-wheel D on the grain side of the rakewheel.

(No model.)

The sprocket-wheel E is keyed or otherwise fastened to the shaft A at the end opposite to thepinion O. This sprocket-wheel is connected by a suitable chain, F, to the main drivingaxle G of the machine, whereby the rakes are operated. By this construction and arrangement of the driving mechanism. for the rakewheel with a single shaft, A, passing under the rake-wheel and carrying atone end, on the grain side of the rake-wheel, a pinion gearing With it, and carrying on its opposite end gearing connected with the driving-axle by means of which the shaft is driven, the mechanism for operating the rake-wheel is simplified over the ordinary construction by using fewer gearwheels and shafts, and the construction is rendered more compact and cheaper.

A suitable spring belt-tightener, H, situated as shown, keeps the chain F always taut. The sprocket-wheel E is so connected to the shaft A that it may easily be removed when desired, and it will be quite evident that by simply changing this wheel for a larger or a smaller one the speed of the rake-arms will be increased or diminished without affecting the speed of the cutters, which are drivenfrom the same axle, G.

J (see Fig. 5) represents a casting havinga-n inclined cam-plate, R, terminating at its upper end in a horizontal track, R, and an extension, I, the outer end of which underlaps and fits in a recess in the under face of the track L of the rake-cam, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5.

h represents a slot in the casting J, and K a bolt having a nut and washer, the bolt being secured to the rake cam and passing through the slot h, by which construction the casting J is rendered adjustable to vary the length of the track. As I claim nothing particular in the rake-arms, it is not necessary to describe how they work upon this track, as they operate the same as in the ordinary machine of this class. By having an adjustable casting having an inclined cam-plate I am enabled to lengthen or shorten the track and to set the rakes so that they will travel farther on the platform when heavy grain is being delivered, or to turn up sooner when a lighter class of grain is being out.

In Fig. 4; the gate M is shown open, being held in that position by the tripping-block N.

This tripping-block, as will be seen in Fig. 5, is connected to the crank-lever O by the rod P, and on reference to Fig. i it will be noticed that this crank-lever O is likewise attached by rods and lever (marked Q Q) to a foot lever within reach of the driver. This crank-lever O is provided with an arm, 0, which overlaps the face of the rake-wheel D. A piu,R,in the rake-wheel D, is so situated that when passing the arm 0 it will come in contact with it, and as this arm is connected through the cranklever O to the trippingblock N, as described, the latter will be tripped by the action of this pin exactly the same as if the crank lever 0 were operated by the driver.

By the insertion of one pin, It, in the rakewheel, the trip will be set automatically for one rake in four. By placing similar pins on the rake wheel at the proprr points as many more of the rake-heads as may be desired can be thus automatically operated without disturbing the mechanism, which places the trippingapparatus under the control of the driver.

Any one who has studied the operation of reaping-machines is aware of the fact that in reeling short grain it is an advantage to have the rake-support farther back on the machine than when longer grain is being out. With the view of providing an easy means of accomplishing this end I attach the rakesupport B to an arch or supporting-bracket, S, by a bolt, T, which can easily be got at, and as it passes through a longitudinal slot in the arch S, made in the direction of the line of motion of the machine, by loosening the nut on the bolt, the rake-support B may be moved backward or forward as circumstances require. WVith the view of facilitating this operation, I provide a wrought-iron arch, S, securely bolted to the machine and braced to the frame by the rod U, pivoted at its lower end in a bracket, and provided at its upper end with a slot registering with the slot in the arch S, the bolt T passing through both slots. Heretofore a pinion on a shaft driven by the driving-wheel through intermediate gearinghas been arranged on the grain side of the wheel with other gears or pulleys between said pinion and the grain, and a pinion, also driven by a shaft from the main driving-wheel, has been arranged to drive a bevel-gear carrying a pinion that meshes with the rake-wheel, but in neither of these does the shalt that carries the pinion pass across and directly underneath the rake-wheel. These arrangements are not as simple or compact as mine, and they are therefore more likely to get out of order. In my construction the rakewheel is driven by a pinion on the grain side of the rake-wheel and, operating directly on it and the shaft carrying the pinion, passes directly underneath the rake-whee1.

In that class of machines in which the pinion is on the side farthest from the grain there is the further disadvantage that when the machine is in operation the rake which is clearing the platform is in position to exert the greatest leverage to cant or tilt the crown wheel, while its fellow is nearly vertical, and therefore does not counterbalance it, the result of which is to change the pitch-line outward, or a tendency to unmesh the wheels, whereas, by my construction-thatis, in extending the shaftacross and under thecrown-wheel, this greatest leverage tends to keep the wheels in mesh by reason of the driving-pinion being transferred to the side of the crown -wheel which is forced toward the pinion by the weight of the rake-arm. In addition to this advantage, the pinion being on the grain side, being usually smaller than the gear-wheel by which it is driven, can be more readily covered up, and hence is more readily kept free from the straw, &c., which is apt to get caught in the larger wheels when on the grain side.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In combination with the crown-wheel D, provided with a circumferential guard, d, the cross-shatt A, journaled beneath it, said shaft having the rake-driving pinion O on the end of the same on the grain side of the rake-wheel and engaging with the crown-wheel on the under side, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the geared rakewheel D, having a circumferential guard, d, of the rake-support B, having the guard P, and the pinion U, inclosed by said guards, substantially as described.

3. The rake-support, B, provided with the journal-bearings a, hub b, and guard P, in combination with the rake-wheel D, provided with a circular row of teeth, circumferential guard 01, and hub c, shaft- A, carrying the pinion O on the grain side of the rake-wheel, and the sprocket-wheel E on its opposite end, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a rake cam-plate, of the adjustable slotted casting J, provided with the extension I, underlapping the track, inclined cam-plate It, terminating at its upper end in the horizontal track 1%, bolt K, and track L, the whole arranged, constructed, and operating as set forth.

5. The arch S, securely bolted to the frame of the machine and provided with a slot near its upper end made in the direction of the line of motion of the machine, in combination with the adjustable rake-support B and bolt T, substantially as described, and for. the purpose set forth.

6. The arch S, provided with a slot at or near its upper end, made in the direction of the line of motion of the machine, in combination with the brace-rod U, pivoted at its lower end and provided at its upper end with a slot registering with that in the arch S, adjustable rake-support B, and bolt T, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN HARRIS.

In presence of- WILLIAM Cox, ALBERT WESTOVER. 

